The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

Over the last two years, everyone has learned how critical, fragile, and interconnected our supply chains are. Their reach also means that seemingly insignificant consumer devices may have direct ties to high-stakes geopolitical issues half a world away. Supply Chain Now hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson started the week of January 10th by taking on topics from rice cookers to human rights abuses in the distant province of Xinjiang in China.

In this session, created in collaboration with a live digital audience, Kevin and Scott talk about:

• The widespread implications of the fact that 63% of the world’s semiconductor chips are manufactured in Taiwan, followed by South Korea and China
• Why new orders of finished goods in December rose at the slowest rate of 2021, while manufacturing work backlogs increased
• The ongoing tensions between tech companies like Intel and China over human rights concerns in Xinjiang province

Intro/Outro (00:00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:00:30):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson with you here on supply chain. Now, welcome to today’s buzz. Kevin, how we

Kevin L. Jackson (00:00:39):

Doing? Hey, good morning, man. I’m dizzy. It’s a great Monday, but um, like, you know, Christmas and the years, it was like in the sixties around here. And then the day after new year dropped down due, the teens got eight inches of snow and then we got more snow at the end of the week. And, and now all the snow is gone, but you wouldn’t know, you know what, I’m I just wondering

Scott Luton (00:01:03):

<laugh> I need some, I need some flashcards cause no, I hadn’t seen snow in a long time, thankfully, but, uh, but you know what I’m real thankful for as well is, uh, Kevin, you broke out your, your superhero Cape. Uh, today, once again, uh, Greg white, we had a little SNA food, no emergencies, but he had something he had take care of it last minute, this morning. So Kevin is subbing in for the one only Greg white, the one only Kevin L. Jackson. So welcome to the buzz. Kevin,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:01:32):

The shoes are kinda big. I was just looking, trying to fit in man. Just trying to fit in

Scott Luton (00:01:38):

<laugh>. Well, always a pleasure to collaborate with the one only Kevin L. Jackson today. Folks, it’s the supply chain buzz. It’s all about, uh, some of the leading news of the day. We come live to you every Monday at 12 in an Eastern time. Uh, today we’re gonna be touching on a variety of topics. Um, manufacturing is gonna be a big theme today. Um, but beyond what we share with you, we want to hear your take, you know, what’s your take on some of these we’re gonna be talking about we’re gonna be sharing as much as we can throughout today’s session. Uh, before I hit some programming notes, Kevin, did you eat your Weedies this morning? You ready to go and, and tackle some of the news of the day?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:02:14):

Yep, I did. I did three pushups. That was my record.

Scott Luton (00:02:20):

You beat me by three. So, uh, all right, well good, good, good. Uh, always good to hear that Kevin is ready to go. Let’s tackle a couple of, uh, programming notes here. Um, this week folks, this week, we’ve got a free webinar on January 13th, special time. That’s Thursday at 3:00 PM Eastern time. We’re gonna be welcoming in Daniel with optimist and David with group. As we talk about practical strategies for adapting to demand and supply uncertainty. Now, Kevin, there is plenty too much uncertainty across industry right now, right? Well, you know

Kevin L. Jackson (00:02:56):

What uncertainty provides that opportunity for innovation and leaders jump up when there is opportunity. So, you know, that’s right. It it’s, uh, I think this would be a, a, a great webinar for people that plan or, or are leaders in their field because you can understand how things are changing, um, and what uncertainty you have to deal with and target for your innovation.

Scott Luton (00:03:26):

Agreed. Well, put, I like the optimistic, uh, spin that we’re hearing from Kevin L. Jackson today, but folks join us special time, 3:00 PM, Eastern time, January 13th. Uh, and you can sign up, uh, via the link on the show notes, but that’s just one of new, a, uh, really a number of learning opportunities. Next week we bring in Jeremy Bodenham with ship Hawk. Uh, he’s gonna be talking, adapt or die, your survival guide to modern warehouse automation. That’s the 18th at back at our normal time, our 12 noon Eastern time. So pack a sandwich and join us for what promises would be a great, very practical conversation. Really two practical conversations. Kevin, you walked into a modern day warehouse and seen all the magic that they pull off these days.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:04:12):

You know, the magic is that there? I know people, I mean, it’s like all the people disappear. Um, they’re up behind on these glasses, you know, uh, big glasses, no, you know, C2 glasses, you can’t see anybody behind them and these robots running around everywhere. Um, and, and the computer vision actually just wrote an article about how computer vision is really, um, uh, revolutionizing the so, uh, pick and pack process, uh, in, in, in warehousing. So, uh, and they’re, they’re comparing, or, uh, also looking at the few humans that are there to ensure that they’re following the standard operating procedures because the, uh, manufacturers have so much risk when the humans don’t do what they’re supposed to do. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:05:05):

Wow. We, and, and, and of course, mitigating, navigating through having that, that, that successful risk strategy is a big part of the modern global, uh, business era. So, Hey, join us next next week, the 18th at 12 new Eastern time for what proms is to be, I’ve been prepping with Jeremy, I’ve gotten I’ve, I’ve been able to sit on a couple panels with Jeremy. He is a dynamo folks. So don’t miss the January 18th event. Again, the link is in the show notes. Now, one more quick heads up. Uh, we have recently confirmed that we’re gonna be out in Vegas, everything kind of Vegas, baby <laugh> yes. Maybe as long as everything, uh, plays out at the reverse logistics association conference and expo, that’s February 6th through the eighth, I believe, uh, is the, maybe the seventh through the ninth. Uh, Amanda, if you can confirm that for me. And if you could also drop the link to the RLA conference next boat in the show notes, uh, Kevin, one of the big reasons we have continued our work with RLA and continued to invest in, uh, conversations around returns and reverse logistics is, is, is largely because we love Tony, but, and Tony is who leads RLA but more importantly, the topic, the topic, uh, and the practices around how we handle returns and the reverse side of supply chain is only become much more important, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:06:27):

Yeah. So how did I get on that? On that assignment? You know, my son lives, my son lives like four blocks from the trip in, in Las Vegas.

Scott Luton (00:06:37):

We’re gonna have to talk, I’ll talk with your agent, uh, this afternoon, Kevin. All right. What? Y’all check that out and check out the link we put into, um, the, the, uh, the, the chat here in just a second. We’d love to see all of y’all out in Vegas finally. All right. So’s you know, eight degrees up in Indianapolis today, today is the national championship game. Uh, some of our teams are big. Some of our team members are big fans of the university of Georgia bulldogs to include you recognize the guy on the far left here, Kevin. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:07:09):

That’s the, uh, salesperson extraordinaire <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:07:14):

Man clay, clay has, uh, has been making it happen for months and, uh, so neat to see him and some friends, obviously up in Indianapolis rooting on their bulldogs as they look to win. I think their first natural championship in, uh, 41 or 42 years, I can’t remember, but Hey, we’re with you there in spirit and stay warm. And Kevin, that might include a few adult beverages. Cause they gotta keep that body 10, but you’re warm, right? Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:07:39):

Yeah. Cause medical necessities, medical necessities,

Scott Luton (00:07:42):

Right. <laugh> all right. Safe travels to clay. Really important. Uh, hope y’all have a wonderful time up in Indianapolis. Okay. Well, before we get into the news of the day, Kevin, yeah. Uh, we should also say, and we’re gonna say hello to a, a lot of folks that are in the, uh, the, uh, sky boxes here to day. We’re so thankful for that, but so we got a big, uh, give a big, thanks to Amanda behind the scenes, helping her make production happen. Mm-hmm <affirmative> but Amanda today is joined by Chantel. Chantel king is who is with us here today on our first day with supply chain now team. Isn’t that right, Kevin? Wow. You know,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:08:15):

This team is growing so, so big. It’s so great to have, uh, this new blood, new spirit. Maybe I can learn something from Chantel.

Scott Luton (00:08:23):

<laugh> lots of ideas, lots of expertise. And we’re looking forward to all of her contributions. So welcome to the team and the show here, Chantel. Okay. Let’s say hello. Let’s see. Jason T hop. Now Jason, Kevin is a Bama fan. I think he’s in the DC area these days. But I think he, he, he was, he was raised in bam, but regardless, I know he is a big Crimson Todd van. Kevin let’s put you on the spot. What, what’s your take if you had to pick a team <laugh>

Kevin L. Jackson (00:08:53):

Wow. Uh, I’m sorry. It’s it’s uh, no contest. I’m going for Georgia, man. I’m going for Georgia. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:09:01):

1. Jason. I was

Kevin L. Jackson (00:09:02):

Let’s get your call. You know,

Scott Luton (00:09:04):

That’s right. I keep forgetting.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:09:06):

Go with Georgia. I can’t go go. You Jason.

Scott Luton (00:09:13):

Jason. Great to have you here today. T square who holds down the, for course on YouTube <laugh> YouTube says, Hey, bundle up folks. It’s cold, but please bring on the nourishment. It’s coming. We got a lot of stuff to get, uh, work our way through here today. T squared, uh, I think this is Helene and Helen via LinkedIn. Great to have you here today. Tell us where you are tuned in from, uh, great to see you there. Hey, helmet is with us and that may be, I wonder, uh, Kevin, that might be Helmut. What do you think?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:09:45):

Uh, HEU hel yeah, well it’s it’s German though. Isn’t

Scott Luton (00:09:49):

He? Well, he helmet. So we’re friends on social and I really enjoy his content. He puts out there spa actually on LinkedIn. So I should know this already, but helmet, let us know your first name. How is that supposed to be pronounced? Uh, and regardless, good evening from France, he says happy, new, crazy supply chain year to all. He also says great to have you here. B <laugh>, uh, LinkedIn. Hey, Peter Bole all night and all day is back with us. Uh, Peter, congratulations, Kevin. Uh, uh, and I think I can say this, um, because our world, our ecosystem wants to celebrate with Peter he’s he’s kicking off. What I think is gonna be a wonderful new opportunity, helping a friends. Oh, wow. Business. And imagine, um, imagine Kevin, if your buddy could benefit from your say, you know, three decades of procurement and supply chain prowess, how cool is that?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:10:45):

Go help your friend and both of you become a millionaire. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:10:48):

That’s great. I like how you think Kevin. It’s good stuff. <laugh> Peter. Great to have you here today. And looking forward to learning more. Thomas is tuned in via, in good morning to you. Thomas max is back with us. Happy new year, everybody. He says, uh, max from, uh, down in Mexico. Great to see you, max gene pleasure. And the year of right. What’s that

Kevin L. Jackson (00:11:09):

The year of the tiger. Don’t you hear? Uh, Rocky, just running in right now. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:11:15):

Uh, gene pleasure is back with this gene of Northern Alabama. I, I bet I know who he’s pulling for Kevin. You think <laugh>

Kevin L. Jackson (00:11:25):

You never

Scott Luton (00:11:25):

Know you don’t, uh, cause

Kevin L. Jackson (00:11:29):

Northern Alabama’s kinda

Scott Luton (00:11:30):

Close. Well that plus, you know, cc’s got all kinds of different, you know, allegiances throughout the, really throughout the country. And of course, BA yeah, you got Bama, you got Auburn. Uh, you got some Georgia pockets in there who knows, but I bet Jean is a big time Crimson tide fan, uh, right. SHA

Kevin L. Jackson (00:11:53):

Rooting for

Scott Luton (00:11:53):

Today. Oh man. I think she’s all I think she has. So as many of y’all may know, Corrine Bura who Kevin’s talking about is host of our tech talk, digital supply chain podcast. Now she is a Auburn, um, graduate and you know, Auburn has got a big rivalry of course, with bam and with Georgia. So, but I think she’s pulling for UGA, Kevin, I believe you think so? I think so. Okay. Shahi good morning to you tuned in from LinkedIn. Now, Kevin, I should know AE. Um, I wonder if that’s UAE and maybe we, we have a character cut off there.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:12:32):

Yeah, that’s probably UAE.

Scott Luton (00:12:35):

Shahi let us know where you’re, you’re tuned in from. Maybe there was a flag that, that, that, that didn’t get converted. Let us know. Shahi where you’re tuned in from.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:12:44):

I’ll tell you that’s a, that’s a beautiful area of the world.

Scott Luton (00:12:47):

It really is. And lots of innovation taking place in that part. Tons of

Kevin L. Jackson (00:12:52):

Innovation that work a lot with the, uh, middle east and north Africa cloud Alliance. And I, I learned so much from him. Hmm.

Scott Luton (00:13:00):

Um, alright. Really quick. We’ve confirmed the dates for the early conference. NPO. That’s February 6th of the ninth. We’ve got link there in she notes. Hey, Mohe is back with us there in Wichita, Kansas via LinkedIn. He says, good morning. Find I got a chance to sneak in for the livestream Mohe or expecting big things.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:13:20):

You don’t have to sneak, just walk in the front door, man. Right?

Scott Luton (00:13:24):

Hey, Sophia is tuned in today. Uh, via LinkedIn, Sophia hopes. Hope this finds you well. So, uh, great to see your content, your thought leadership across social. I saw your, one of your latest interviews. I’m thinking logistics magazine. Uh, so Sophia, great to see you here today. Roger Carr ever been to Greenville, South Carolina, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:13:45):

Oh yeah. Actually I did. I, I flew down to Greenville from Norfolk. You, I used to, I used to a pilot <laugh> and I flew Greenville and, um, and uh, it’s a beautiful town. In fact, I drove down there for the eclipse. That was a, a few years ago down, down the Greenfield. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful area. Well

Scott Luton (00:14:07):

Learned something new that,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:14:09):

Uh, Jason had to come back with a roll tide. So FYI

Scott Luton (00:14:13):

<laugh> uh, well, Hey Roger. Great. So great to have you here today. You LinkedIn from, uh, Greenville, I should say. Uh, Cheryl Huckabee, Washington greetings from Lehigh valley, Pennsylvania. Exciting possibilities in the supply chain management innovations. I agree with you all the possibilities, the possibilities let’s see Mohe is, uh, sharing. Good morning. Uh, I guess it was eight. Yeah, negative eight in Wichita, Kansas last week, I think is what Mohe is sharing. How about that

Kevin L. Jackson (00:14:48):

Eight Celsius? That’s a big difference.

Scott Luton (00:14:52):

Uh, oh man. It’s not Fahrenheit. <laugh> MOS is shared a little math joke. <laugh> all right. A couple quick, more, uh, Marlow’s tuned in from Dallas, Texas Eton. Great to see here, uh, Marlow, um, uh, Jabre is tuned in from France also via LinkedIn. Great to see you here. Jabreal Anthony Page from sunny San Diego via LinkedIn. Great to see ya. Uh, finally Andrew orange county, California also tuned in via LinkedIn. Well, good morning. And good afternoon everybody. I got one, one quick clarification. Before we dive into our first story here, Kevin, I didn’t give, I didn’t get Peter’s experience factor right. 43 years ago. Now he’s right back. He says, Peter says starting where he’s right back where his procurement and supply and supply chain journey started 43 years ago. So this is, I think this is gonna be a great story that Peter, uh, is beginning to write once again.

Scott Luton (00:15:56):

So we’re gonna have to check in on the one only Peter Bole as he, uh, he makes a big impact. I can only imagine it’s a huge crowd here today. Wow. There is. Well, I think, you know, folks, it’s a new year. There’s lots of news out there and, and supply to and elsewhere and they’re rearing to go. You supply, chain’s a place to be, so hopefully we’ll keep seeing the activity. Cause we folks we wanna get your feedback on these stories and these topics we’re gonna be talking about here today. And Kevin, are you ready to dive in? Let’s do it, man. All right. You got my <laugh> well up first. So I wanna cut. Um, as we, as we roll into the new year on the supply chain buzz, we wanna bake in a few more kind of did, you know, uh, factoids in our conversation.

Scott Luton (00:16:42):

So as you know, Kevin, one of the most talked about challenges in supply chain over the last year or so if not a little bit longer semiconductors computer chips been quite a check this out though, according to our talent of friends over at visual capitalists and, and folks mark that, write that site down a great resource, powerful graphic, just like the one here. Um, did you know that the market did you know about the market makeup in the chip industry? So get this Kevin TSCM TSMC, right? <affirmative> Taiwan when he is based manufacturer where they lead the market, in terms of, of market share 54%, one company, 54%, that’s followed by Samsung at 17% global foundries at 7%, and then a variety of the companies make up, uh, the remainder there, but get this. And you can, you can barely just, I couldn’t get the whole graphic in on the same page, but, um, if you look at the market share by country Kevin Taiwan, of course, that would make a lot of sense.

Scott Luton (00:17:42):

They make up 63% of the global market. 63% South Korea comes in second at 18% and China comes in third at 6% of the semiconductor computer chip market share. And the rest of 13% spread across the globe. Now, one final note for you, Kevin’s take here. Um, uh, obviously the us has made several us and private along with government support has made several big, you know, broken, broken ground, some big initiatives to sho some of this production. I wanna say back in as, uh, it’s been about 1990 ish or early nineties since us had a, had a, had a good chunk of the, uh, global manufacturing of computer chips and whatnot. But Kevin, what, when you, you see things like this and you see numbers like this, what comes to mind for you?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:18:33):

Well, you know, most people think about computers when they think about semiconductors, you know, your, your tablet or, or maybe your smartphone, you know, everybody using the smartphone. But I, I think the things that really hit me close to home, like I like rice. And did you know that rice cookers can only cook rice perfectly because semiconductors controlled the temperature in those rice cookers. So without I couldn’t be able to eat my rice without, um, semiconductors and, and air conditioning during the summer, you know, temperature sensors are in the air conditioning from semiconductors, um, digital cameras, television. I can’t have clean. You can’t have clean clothes because semiconductors are in the washing machines. You can’t eat because they’re the microwaves and the refrigerators bank ATMs that even the network where you do remote medical care uses semiconductors. And from a professional point of view, the efficient logistics systems that save energy and promote the global environment. Did you know that the L E D bulbs that I don’t know about you, but I just replaced a lot of bulbs with L E D bulbs in my house to save energy. They are semiconductors. I mean, everything in your life is a semiconductor. It

Scott Luton (00:20:08):

Really, it, it, it touches everything and it’s only gonna continue. Uh, the immersion in, uh, humanity and global society is only gonna continue as we want more features and more conveniences on every single device, uh, who knows maybe, maybe toothbrushes will be able to brush our teeth without us even touch them. Uh, at some point soon, who knows, um, you

Kevin L. Jackson (00:20:30):

Know, toothbrushes probably have, so also

Scott Luton (00:20:33):

Some of them, I know my <laugh>, I know my wife has a smart brush. Um, yeah, I can’t remember the name of the company that has really, uh, risen and show have to drop in the comments because I can’t hear her either. She she’s shouting from around corner <laugh>, but, um, folks, computer chips, some of conductors are everywhere and, uh, we’ll see kind of how the, uh, the supply issues continue to linger into, uh, this year. Okay. So Kevin let’s keep on driving here cause we wanna move, you know, manufacturing again is gonna be a big theme of the show here today. Um, we’re gonna, well, hang on a sec, hang on a sec. Hang on sec. We’ve got a little drop in more. Yeah, we gotta back for a second. We gotta, I gotta back up for a second. I gotta share two comments. Mohe says I need one of the chips embedded in him. Cause he could use all the help he can get. Hey, <laugh> care. What you ask for Mohi is all I’m gonna say, be careful what you ask for. How do you

Kevin L. Jackson (00:21:30):

Know it’s not embedded into when you were born? Right? How do you Mo <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:21:37):

It’s matrix it’s the matrix, but Hey, we have a little drop in guess Greg white is with this in the boxes. So Greg says, how about rat traps? Do they need

Kevin L. Jackson (00:21:49):

Kentucky?

Scott Luton (00:21:51):

You know, uh, I don’t does that his

Kevin L. Jackson (00:21:54):

Loan problem. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:21:57):

I’m gonna zip that toe way to keep no Greg great to have you here. As he’s in, I think the South Carolina, uh, headquarters for supply chain now, hopefully hearing some shrimp boats and some of the things as he, as he tackles his project this morning, you’re missed uh, Mr. White. Okay. Uh, and, and Amanda also, Dr. Quip Quip was the name of the company for smart toothbrushes and medical equipment. Yeah. All right. So let’s talk, let’s, let’s get back to manufacturing. I won’t talk about, uh, let’s see here, the latest us man manufacturing activity numbers, they’re in Kevin for the month of December, at least the ones via IHS market now. Okay. They showed a slight decrease in December from November activity levels. And some of that could be expected. Some of it may be, would be unexpected, but a couple observations, at least according to the folks over at market watch material shortages and supplier delays.

Scott Luton (00:22:56):

If we’ve heard that once we’ve heard it a thousand times, that’s not a surprise. Right, right, right. New orders, new orders, Kevin, they rose slowly, but they still rose, but it was at their slowest pace in terms of, of the rise, the increase in all of 2021. And those work backlogs also increased. But again, at the slowest pace in 10 months now, one final thought, Kevin, I’d love to get your, your take. Some of that could be business owners, you know, trying to get rid of all the inventories that are not carrying that over into new. And they, they protect, they, uh, protect, uh, cash flow, which is a great thing. Right, right. Um, but what else sticks you as we, as we talk about manufacturing in December? Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:23:41):

Um, unfortunately I, I, I think we are, we’re hit, uh, right at the beginning of another big drop because I was reading this article, um, and about, um, a half dozen manufacturing execs out of Canada said, uh, and he, this gentleman, Dennis, uh, Dennis Darby, he’s the chief Canadian manufacturers and exporters. And he said that, uh, many manufacturers were short stacked between six and 9%. And that the, uh, Denise Allen, the chief executive of food, producers of Canada, maybe this is a Canadian thing. I’m not sure said that many of the companies are being short staffed because of, uh, no decline. Right. Um, and that rapid testing is what they’re trying to use as a front line tool to keep their staff there. And it’s not just the staff getting sick, but they’re coming in contact with people that are sick. And those that are parents have to figure out who stays home with the kids because of school. There’s such a, uh, patchwork of in class, you know, at home learning. So, I mean, that’s gonna hit manufacturing and, uh, I don’t know

Scott Luton (00:25:10):

How right. Agreed. Um, agreed. And, and, um, you know, beyond, and I can personally relate to some of those things you were talking about, you know, Kevin, we were without a, um, before the kids broke for, um, December holidays, we were without of our family vehicles. And we were trying to figure out how to make things work with like a two seat vehicle, which doesn’t work with three kids. So juggling, juggling, we had some cars rented. We had, we probably Ubered sometimes. I mean, but you know, when you think about, uh, our manufacturing workforce and, and, and how have, have gotta figure out a way like the rest of the workforce to juggle all of that, get through the latest variant, you know, go out and, and hopefully get their, you know, vaccination or booster, whatever deal, deal with life, right. All to get back in and, and keep production going. Uh, no shortage of curve balls. Um, but big, thanks all those folks. This, um, even though technology is prevalent everywhere in global industry, you know, people still make global supply chain, including man manufacturing move forward. So, uh, hopefully we get through this, this latest, um, it’s not, I’m, it’s not I’m Aron anymore. It’s whatever, whatever the LA late, what’s the latest variation. Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:26:29):

I heard there’s something called, um, what, um, uh, Delta crime. It’s a mix between Delta and Omnichron <laugh> man, what things up?

Scott Luton (00:26:43):

This is like bad Hollywood sequel, purer purgatory, or something. It’s not a good spot to be in good spot. <laugh> well, I wish we could move, you know, Kevin from this story and this conversation around COVID and the latest variation to some, to some better news, but we’ve got some equally, uh, challenging news to get through in this next story. I’m gonna dive right in if that works for you, Kevin, cause we’re talking Intel. So lemme tee this thing up. I’m looking forward to getting your take here. Um, again, continuing this manufacturing theme here today. Um, now this story from supply chain to this and Greg white, if you’re still with us in the sky boxes, I’d love to hear some more of your take here. This story got a lot of Greg Greg’s attention, uh, last week. Oh yeah. Anything about China, Greg <laugh> Greg gives on so Intel added language.

Scott Luton (00:27:40):

So, so in a nutshell, Intel ad language to a its company wide supplier requirements that calls out its prohibition, the company’s prohibition on any human trafficked or I, uh, involuntary labor. So that’s good news, but in Intel’s 2020 corporate statement, which I think came out in May, 2021, the company specifically references Jing J province in China, uh, even though Intel doesn’t source any products or goods, they, they referenced Jing Jing. I think as an example of what they’re trying to avoid, where in Jing Jing province, the state us state department has not missed words. They have, uh, claimed that widespread state sponsored forced labor and intrusive surveillance, forced population control measures, and separation of children from families, mass detention and other human rights abuses amidst, ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity that is per the U us state department of what’s going on in Xing J province.

Scott Luton (00:28:49):

So, yeah, even though Intel does not source again from that province, it does employ about 10,000 employees in China. China did not appreciate the Xing J reference in that corporate communication and, um, to the tune where it Intel basically apologized and removed the verbiage. Now I I’ll just, I think one OB for me, and I love to get your take here, Kevin. Yeah. All of this stuff in the news, even though it, you know, that you got corporate politics, semantics, uh, all this stuff going on, it keeps the Travis in the news and, and, and the travesty needs more awareness, right? That’s how we’re gonna get action of, uh, against human trafficking and modern slavery, wherever it exists, China and, and plenty of other places. Um, but Kevin, what’s your take here in this Intel story?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:29:43):

Well, last time I checked, maybe we need to check Google again, but Intel is an American company, right? And the us president Joe Biden signed a bill that banned all import import from Z, uh, province. Uh, and that includes things like cotton and tomato products. Um, but Sam club, you know, your, your Walmart has got caught in a similar issue because, um, they apparently, uh, China thought that remove source products from their app from the Sam’s club act well, well, I Don know what Walmart is doing, but they said, there’s a misunderstanding, but you know, people have to understand that us companies have to follow us law. And also there’s real public pressure against these, these companies, the council on American Islamic relations on Monday urged the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk to close their new showroom. That was just opened in, in that reach saying that they were supporting genocide by having a show, a Tesla showroom there, uh, and a large number of ER, um, uh, ER, uh, people actually practiced Islam. So this is a very important, uh, topic, both legally and social agreed,

Scott Luton (00:31:24):

Agreed. And, and, um, you know, we’ve, we’ve got a lot more heavy lifting, uh, to address it wherever exists, whether it be at China or, you know, Kevin, you, you, you mentioned, um, in pre-show of variety of products that, uh, were part that were kind of given an asterisk for folks who do a little more or homework on to make sure that, uh, I don’t know if you’ve got that list handy, but it it’s, it is a wide variety of, of maybe every week or everyday products that you use maybe without even thinking from cabbage to cereal to broccoli. And that all might have an implication

Kevin L. Jackson (00:32:01):

Yeah. To bureau internationally labor affairs actually puts on a list of products that either have forced labor or, or child labor from countries that, you know, you know, people, everyone talks about China and no, no offense to, uh, Greg. Uh, but there are other countries where this is being done. I mean, in El Salvador, for instance, coffee, um, it has child labor involved in it. Um, the cashews coming outta Brazil, uh, carpets out of India and Pakistan, uh, bricks from Uganda that the cabbage was from Paray. Um, so there’s a, there’s a lot of things that you wouldn’t even think of that really have child labor so associated with it. Yep. So this is a global issue, um, corn outta the Philippines, uh, cotton outta Brazil. So, um, textile. So, so this is a big thing. We really have to put a focus on it to stop this forced labor and, and child labor

Scott Luton (00:33:21):

Agreed, agreed, uh, um, you know, cobalt, the mining of cobalt, uh, in African and other places. Uh, I’ve heard lots of allegations their use of, of child labor. Um, so we, we, we do, we gotta take action about it. Uh, but everyone has a role, you know, whether you’re in industry, whether you’re a practitioner, whether you, you lead a global supply chain, or if you’re a consumer, you know, you’re, you’re supporting or making choices you’re voting as I’ve heard it put with, with your, your dollars. Um, right. So it’s incumbent upon all of us to, um, really as a first step, get to know the problem and become much more aware and red up. That’s, that’s kind of, uh, what I’ve been to here in, in recent months, um, which with resources, which I’ll touch on here in just a second, but, um, I appreciate your comments here and, uh, we’ll keep an eye on, you know, this whole thing with Intel and how that, uh, how that continues to play out in, um, months coming up. Okay. I take a few comments here. Um, so if Sophia going back to COVID and how, I couldn’t remember the latest, uh, variant Sophia says at the end, it’s all COVID

Kevin L. Jackson (00:34:28):

<laugh>, that’s all

Scott Luton (00:34:30):

COVID. Yeah, you’re right there. Uh, let’s see here. Uh, Cheryl Huckaby, Washington says, uh, re she’s rethinking just in time, four more resilience, and then at least for now Git machinery with the pandemic through some problems into the lean principles. And she’s kind of, I think, referring to the manufacturing industry and yeah. Uh, absolutely. Uh, let’s see here, <laugh> Sophia. Oh gosh, you got your sense of humor cap on. I can feel breathing in my neck chasing me. She’s <laugh> um, now Roger, and I’m not sure what company Roger’s with, but, uh, he says that maybe he’s with the laboratories, our labs are testing 70,000 samples per day. How about that? I’m assuming those are, those are COVID tests. Um, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:35:22):

Wow. Yeah. That’s um, that’s amazing. I mean, um, but we’re still behind, right? That’s right. And these people are, you know, some people on one side are saying that we don’t wanna test cause we don’t wanna know, but, but I mean, I think it’s important to

Scott Luton (00:35:40):

Know. Yep. Agreed to that end, uh, Kevin, but on a different spin. It’s important to know that list of child labor products list that you referenced a second ago. We’ve already, we’ve dropped that in a sky boxes. Thank you for doing that. Uh, um, Amanda, that is from of the department of labor. So I appreciate you pointing that out, Kevin. Um, let’s see here back to COVID Mohe says, is someone trying to sell more vaccines? I already got my third dose. <laugh> alpha beta Delta. Again, I’m bringing on I’m ready for a good fight Mohe. Great. <laugh> love

Kevin L. Jackson (00:36:13):

Hearing that

Scott Luton (00:36:14):

Worldwide fight. That’s right. Um, Shahi is going back. So it was UAE I believe is where Shahi tuned in from via LinkedIn. Uh, UAE is reporting very low cases, which is overwhelming in spite of 20,000 tests at test, uh, here recently, some things they are good and I mean, disaster management set up by leadership. So I think what Shas she is saying is that, um, um, they’ve been able to mitigate it based on their, um, management disaster and maybe the healthcare, uh, disaster management plans by the country’s leadership. So good stuff there. Shahi uh, I know we’re bouncing around a little,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:36:55):

One thing about testing. I think people you need to understand it’s not the testing is isn’t really about if you are sick or if you have COVID, it’s about the prevention of spreading COVID in the community so that, you know, you know, then you stay home, you don’t bring it to your workplace or to your, your school. So the testing is about prevention

Scott Luton (00:37:23):

Agreed and, and containing things, uh, containing Peter going back. I know we’re bouncing around a little bit folks, but Hey, it’s a Monday and in between COVID and, and trafficking and modern slavery, you know, all folks wanna share a lot of things about it’s. So, but Peter, uh, says any place there is extreme poverty. These things basically can take place. Mohe says, uh, slavery, human trafficking, global problem. He says we have forced child street baggers back in his country. Um, let’s see. Uh, and then finally, Roger, uh, premier medical laboratory services, uh, it must be who is processing all those, uh, those 70,000 samples each day. Many, he says are required testing for employment or travel, but they’ve had a low positive rate. That’s great news. Roger really appreciate you sharing. And so <laugh> one final note here. So via wants to clear the air. She does not have COVID so <laugh> feel free to, uh, socially media mingle with Sophia,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:38:29):

Go with her text, the keyboard with Sophia that’s right. <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:38:35):

All right. One more,

Kevin L. Jackson (00:38:35):

One thing. Another thing that I’ve heard, you know, you learn things every once in a while, and now the, uh, uh, pediatric hospitals are getting a big influx of, of patients and, uh, a large number of children have COVID, but they’re not coming to the, a hospital for COVID right. They’re coming to the hospital for a lot of other things. But as part of, uh, their, um, uh, uh, being checked into the hospital, they are testing for COVID finding that a lot of the children have COVID. So this is why testing is important. Yep.

Scott Luton (00:39:15):

Agreed. Okay. I wanna move right along. Uh, you know, we like take, we we’re big believers here in supply chain now of not just lip service leadership, you know, it’s easy to get caught in lip service when you’re in the content creation business. You know, we do podcasts, live streams webinars. So we do for a living, but we try, try to pair that, uh, uh, and, and beyond providing a learning opportunity for our global ecosystem, try to pair that with opportunities to take action. And one of the things that we have invested in this year, or in recent months is the 20, 22 global, uh, supply chain and procurement awards, uh, around here, uh, internally <laugh> coined by Greg, uh, the Skipp <laugh> for supply chain German awards. Right. All right. But kidding aside, we’ve partnered with hope for justice, a leading nonprofit whose aim is, is a pretty sole one.

Scott Luton (00:40:08):

It is to eradicate, uh, slavery and human trafficking, wherever it exists. I wanna point out this factor, which I got from hope for justice, and you can learn more@hopeforjustice.org. Did you know that one in four, one in four victims of modern slavery globally, are children going back to Moe’s point children? Goodness gracious. Uh, see, y’all check that out. Check out. Non-for-profit, uh, not for profit out for justice. And again, it’s about taking action. You, I want y’all to check out, uh, our supply chain procurement awards site and event. It’s just that easy May 18th, which is just, uh, four months away. Uh, we’re gonna be celebrating a lot of successes across the globe and across us global industry via nine different awards, Kevin, but the cool thing. And my favorite thing is we celebrate that good news while we help create more awareness for what’s going on.

Scott Luton (00:41:09):

When it comes to slavery and trafficking via the partnership we’ve got with hope for justice, and we are using the event as a means of, of, uh, providing financial assistance to hope for justice. So any company anywhere in the world can be nominated for one of the nine awards and again, supply chain procurement awards.com, Kevin, every single dime of those nomination fees are being donated to hope for justice, along with any, you know, if any sponsorships, if, if we create any kind of sponsorships as part of this event, we’re gonna, uh, send off a portion of those proceeds as well. But, but the good news, every single dollar from the nomination awards goes to hope for justice. And I’m getting a question, is this gonna be virtual? Yes. For May 18th, 2022. Now we may have a small, um, you know, a couple of keynotes, um, maybe here in Atlanta. Uh, but yeah, the, all the attendees that will be tuned in the nominees will be tuned in the, uh, acceptance speeches and whatnot. All that will be very virtual and it’s free to attend, but you’ve gotta register. So it’s the, it’s a beautiful thing. Simplicity, as we’ve established Kevin, it’s a beautiful thing. Supply chain, procurement awards.com, nominate your company, nominate your supplier, nominate your customer and register to attend. So I think there’s a small are nominate, which is getting donated and it’s free to attend. So join us there. All right. So Kevin, like

Kevin L. Jackson (00:42:39):

You say, like you say, be the change that’s right, right. This is the way that you can be the change that our industry needs to March jointly on and on into the future.

Scott Luton (00:42:51):

That that is such a, a great point. And, and to that end, it’s tough to be the change when you’re not in the know and, and, and that’s where we’re really impressed with hope for justice, um, and all the resources and their, uh, the research and the action they’re pouring into, uh, their mission. So hope for justice.org, check them out. And, uh, there’s a, any questions y’all might have around the event around the partnership you name it, uh, of course you can reach out to Amanda, amanda@supplychainnow.com. Okay. So, and looks like we’ve already dropped the comment in the boxes there, which is wonderful. Um, all right, so Kevin, yes, we got a few extra minutes to here. We got a few extra minutes here. We’re we were too efficient today. We were too efficient time. Wow. Yes. And she, I’m gonna get your comment in a minute. It looks like you’re doing some really cool things in the manufacturing, uh, space, but Kevin digital transformers, which if you, if folks, if you’re viewing this, you see that kind of right over his right shoulder, that microphone. Um, and we had a very successful 2021 we’re moving into fast and furiously the next, the kickoff to the 2022 programming at digital transformers, which you lead. Give us, tell us what, what are we what’s coming what’s what’s what’s next at digital transformers with Kevin L. Jackson?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:44:15):

Well, first I always would be Remi if I didn’t thank you. The audience for such a welcoming for our inaugural year. I mean, when it started in January of last year, I didn’t know you, we were trying to determine what the format would be, what the topic would be, what we would talk about, even, you know, even if, uh, the audience would be interested in digital transformation, but, you know, you have voted with your clicks, you have voted with your downloads, and we’ve had tens of thousands of downloads of this show, uh, across our inaugural year. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um, and our, our latest show, which is really a departure, I tell you, I almost had to break Scott’s arm to do the last show on the, the business of eSports and where we talked about the metaverse and the, and the virtual world.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:45:19):

Um, and that show just went over a thousand downloads since we published it in, uh, in late December. So, uh, so, so thank you very much. So what what’s coming up well, this year we’re going, we’re, you know, we’re already international, but we’re, we’re really going to, uh, take a big leap internationally. Uh, one of our, our first shows in, in January, we are doing in conjunction with the middle east and north Africa cloud align with large companies like, um, AWS and, and Palo Alto talking about how that region is digitally transforming all of the industry verticals with cloud computing. So we’re gonna talk about the, um, convergence of all of these technologies and how they’re being used, uh, by entrepreneurs and innovators across north Africa and at the middle east. Uh, we we’re also have a awesome Alliance with at and T business who is now a official sponsor of digital transformers. And we look forward to having at and T business executives and clients talking about how they are transforming industries with advanced telecommunications and five G technologies. So they’re, they’re beyond yeah, 5g is everywhere. So they’re gonna be on, um, often as, as well as, uh, another partner, techno gen, which gonna be focused on, uh, cyber security. They have a large present in India, um, and in the United States, um, and we have other surprises up our sleeve. So you wanna stay on the leading edge of your industry, follow digital

Scott Luton (00:47:28):

Transformers. Don’t miss a show. I tell you, Kevin brings it and got some of the best guests that, uh, cup that, that partner with his expertise and experience in one of the most important aspects of global business today, not just supply chain, but global business and that’s digital transformation. Um, so Kevin, thank you for sharing this, the Petes, and we welcome all those partnerships as we continue as, as we take the conversation, uh, even more global than it already is, and we love our partnership there. Um, you know what, Kevin, I just got reminded in my ear that we have left out a key story and, and we’ve got a couple minutes here and, and I found to be an interesting one. Uh, I’m share a couple quick comments here. So, so before we talk about vaccines in Africa, which is really intriguing, Cheryl says that she’s working on starting more manufacturing and it incubators and accelerators here in the states tell us where Cheryl.

Scott Luton (00:48:26):

Um, I can’t remember if you told us where you’re tuned in from, um, when he came on, she says that she’s worked with them in the EU with great results. And there are so many innovative entrepreneurs in need of a shared workspace and mentoring for long term success. That’s an excellent point. Cheryl Love to hear your work and we’ll have to learn more about it. Um, yeah, absolutely. Hellman I’m with you going back to COVID. I hope we can stop talking about C that he, he says soon I’m with you, right? I’m with you. He’s uh, Mohe says that he just checked the list. I think it’s the list that Kevin shared and he says, my country is famous for child labor in at least 10 category refraining from buying Bangladesh, RMG products will definitely put pressure on the sector to resolve these issues. Excellent point there.

Scott Luton (00:49:22):

And look there clay Phillips checking in from cold and Frid, Indianapolis, uh, you know, I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna put clay on the spot and asking for, for a score like I did, uh, before Kevin <laugh>, but, uh, hope this finds you well, clay and, and safe and warm and enjoying the time. Okay. So Kevin, we gotta knock out one more story that I found really interesting. Okay. Let me show this visual here. So, you know, Kevin, one of the, one of the shows we do here at supply chain now is supply chain leadership across Africa. We’ve been doing it for, um, probably over a year now with our dear friend, Jenny from, with say pic who’s, who is based in South Africa. And just last week, I think we just published it today. Uh, so Amanda, get ready maybe with the link, we can put the comments we featured, Azu KK of Nigerian.

Scott Luton (00:50:10):

Um, I don’t have it right in front of me, but I believe she’s CEO of a, of the Africa excellence in supply chain management organization, I think is the name of her association, but regardless she’s making it happen, right. She’s making it happen based in Nigeria, but really across the continent. Um, and one of the things we talked about Kevin was the real, the big importance of increasing local manufacturing in Africa. Did, you know, Kevin that Africa imports across of the entire continents population, 99% of the, of the continents population, they end port all those vaccines. 99% of the vaccines that are used across Africa are imported. So that, so naturally this has gotten a lot of tension, especially with COVID, which has really elevated, uh, the challenge, uh, yeah, when it comes to distribution of the COVID 19 vaccines. So industry leaders across Africa seen poise to do something about it.

Scott Luton (00:51:08):

An effort was launched in 2021. And as this article via, uh, DevX, uh, points out led by the Africa centers for disease control and prevention and its focus, Kevin is to have 60% of all vaccines used in the continent to be made on the continent by 2040, so about 18 years from now. So, you know, we talk a lot about, um, here in the states, we talk about nearshoring and reassuring all the time, but you know, it’s really interesting to look at that through a different prism in a different local, and also look how important it is for Africa to really stand up its manufacturing industry and do some of its own reassuring, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:51:50):

Yeah, absolutely. But there’s, there’s a lot of initiatives in that area. Uh, and I heard, I also know that a, a Moderna factory, um, is being set up in conjunction and partnership with France in Germany is being set up in Africa. And there’s all also like a 600 million Euro investment for this firm in South Africa, Aspen pharma care to, to, uh, produce Johnson and Johnson vaccines. So, I mean, there, there’s a focus on it. People are working, but you know, just like everything else is all hands effort and we may need to do, we probably do need to do more agreed. We’re not outta this. We can’t stop talking about that C word until we’re all vaccinated.

Scott Luton (00:52:41):

Yeah. Um, well, and one of the quick point there about, um, even with all the technology in manufacturing and, and of course you can find plenty of technology in innovation in Africa, and you can also find in Africa, which also, uh, I think will help the effort is a plethora of talent, right? Yes. In Africa. So I’m looking forward to seeing kind of the progress that’s made as, as Africa, like many other as, uh, uh, locals across the globe look at, um, at, at standing up and investing, uh, in and growing its manufacturing sector, whether you’re reassuring it or starting, uh, Greenfield, um, uh, operations.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:53:21):

Um, well, one of the things I think really help is the, um, economic zone, the continental economic zone that was set up, uh, last year. You wouldn’t be surprised at the barriers that, uh, put up, uh, to commerce because of the, uh, different currencies across the continent. And by actually, uh, uh, providing a easier way to exchange currencies, or even maybe eventually eliminating the different currencies across the continent. You can, uh, eliminate the barriers to things like manufacturing and, and supply chains

Scott Luton (00:54:03):

Shortages, you think? Uh, so along those lines, when, when I hear things like that and single currencies that immediately meet, takes my mind to the EU, do you think there’s a potential similar play across Africa? Like, uh, the EU done has done across Europe?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:54:19):

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think, um, that, that economic unity union, it would be very important and critical to manufacturing and supply chain.

Scott Luton (00:54:31):

Okay. All right. I, I love, I love how you put your futs hat on almost without us even thinking, uh, and knowing. So I love that Kevin, uh, a couple quick comments. So <laugh> Peter. So as we established clay up in frigid, Indianapolis were out the, and goes eight degrees this morning. Uh, Peter says, Hey, Google onsite, long Johns. He’s giving him some

Kevin L. Jackson (00:54:51):

Onesie, onesy long Johns, or

Scott Luton (00:54:54):

Maybe ones long Johns that’s right. Um, okay. Jason Hopkins says he enjoys, listen to you, Mr. Kevin. I’m glad they invited you today. My goal is to join you all one day by doing educat transformation. How about that? Like that? Yeah, let’s do

Kevin L. Jackson (00:55:09):

That. Absolutely. I’m putting that on the list.

Scott Luton (00:55:12):

<laugh> you’re on the, on the production schedule and you didn’t even know it JT <laugh>. Um, let’s see. Back to Africa, uh, Michael says that we did a study abroad in South Africa several years ago, and it was eye opening seeing the lack of infrastructure and how that made it difficult to distribute, um, Countrywide. Yeah. We’ve, we’ve talked about that quite a bit in, uh, in the, um, um, Africa focused series and all the installments, in fact, uh, Ramat, um, Abdul caber, I think I don’t have her her information right in front of it, but she talked about how it’s part or the COVID vaccine distribution, that they had to get products across certain rivers, um, across Africa. And in, in some cases there was literally no bridge. And so those are, those are things that other parts here in states we take for granted, you know, that’s infrastructure bill that was that’s being passed, asked, I guess that’s really addressing current infrastructure, current bridges and overpasses that are there in place. Well, in Africa, in some places, you know, uh, that is not the case. And especially with some of the remote aspects of the dis distribution, those are bridges. They’ve got to, uh, uh, build, uh, a bridge rather both literally and, uh, figuratively. Okay. Yeah. Um, absolutely.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:56:34):

And I believe you, um, actually I, we were talking about the, the show, uh, the shoulders come up in may, but, um, and in is one of the judges, uh, on the show and he’s big in, into focusing on improving the, um, logistics and infrastructure, uh, across the entire continent.

Scott Luton (00:56:56):

Agreed. Uh, and, and, and, you know, um, that will be a big part of just how quickly these initiatives, like the manufacturing investment, how quickly that can, that can take off, you know, a as, as we monitor just the gains they make in the infrastructure. Um, all right. As we get close to RA here, I want to, um, one of the comment, so when, when I’m, uh, talking with my dear friend, Jenny firm, who’s based in Johannesburg, South Africa, you know, we’ve gotta, we oftentimes, whether we’re doing a show or having a conversation, we’ve gotta kind of just work through some of the power issues that they’ve had. They, they continue to have there. And Michael points to that, Michael says, in addition to the lack of roads, South Africa had rolling blackouts where certain of the city would go dark at different times throughout the day. And if the company didn’t have generators, well, operations would have to come to a stop. That’s, that’s quite a challenge to work around into Kevin. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:57:57):

Absolutely. Electricity is needed for everything just like refrigeration. Right,

Scott Luton (00:58:02):

Right. That’s right. I, um, I’m not sure who this user is here. Um, it could be Cori, uh, Cori Ko may be with us. Uh, we’ll see if a man can confirm that, but he or she talks about how going back to COVID, that’s why this Australian tennis conversation is so conversational or so controversial rather. And that was Hannah. Hannah, I’m sorry. Uh, this is Hannah. Um, Kevin, it has been quite, uh, joke AIC. That is quite a situation. I don’t know if you’ve been, uh, if that’s been on the radar. Yeah. Yeah. I didn’t

Kevin L. Jackson (00:58:36):

Hear what the last latest, uh, result. I know he was in, uh, uh, again, court yesterday in Australia. I don’t know if he got kicked out the country or left, but I mean, we are truly a, a global society. And if you don’t believe that, just look at the news every day. Right. That’s right. Anything that happens in one part of the world affects not indirectly, but directly affects what goes on in other parts of the world. That’s right. So, you know, we, we, you all have to stand up to our responsibilities as a global citizens.

Scott Luton (00:59:12):

Agreed. Now, if we could just integrate the regulations as we’ve seen, you know, we’ve seen it play out. We talked, uh, um, not too long ago about the impact that’s had on the ocean freight and ocean freight workforces, how yes, absolutely. Cause there’s a lot of in, um, incongruent policies as it relates to different vaccines and D and different regulation there, they, they haven’t been able to, to off board the ships in some cases over a year, hopefully, you know, this has been a, um, this has been so new on so many different levels. And I think it’s also to your point, Kevin, because of the global nature of society, it’s throw us a loop for how we can unify that so that we can, we can bridge some of these gaps in policy, but, uh, we’ve got, we got, still got more, more heavy lifting to do, um,

Kevin L. Jackson (01:00:01):

Right. We gotta

Scott Luton (01:00:01):

Work together. Absolutely. Uh, and Peter’s given us a quick update. <laugh> apparently the judge has reinstated Jovi. I think this is his last name visa. Yeah. And he, Peter also points that Australia has locked out the world since the beginning of COVID to limit it. Um, okay. Okay. One final comment. Good, good news. I think comes from Roger Carr. Roger says we’re trying to establish, uh, lab in the box units from mobile labs in Africa and, and some of the issues that they’re having tackled. There is a lack of stable power. So Roger, Hey, keep fighting a good fight. It’s good to hear and appreciate what you and your teams are doing. Okay, Kevin, we are over, over time, over time, and I know you’ve got, I’m keeping you from a busy, busy day. I really appreciate you, uh, subbing in, uh, for Greg white today.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:01:01):

I really enjoy this, uh, audience. That’s why I love love. So just call me anytime.

Scott Luton (01:01:07):

Well, I will, you know, it’s, it’s really cool to be able, you know, if magic Johnson can’t suit up, we get Michael Jordan. <laugh>, you know, that is really cool to have.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:01:17):

Yeah. But you know, I’m on, somebody said he wanted to listen to me the third, Monday of every month.

Scott Luton (01:01:25):

<laugh> that’s right. That’s right. Come I’m here. <laugh> catch Kevin L. Jackson on the third, Monday of each month on the buzz where we it’s a digital transformers, a technology themed version of the show with some of the best guests. And we’re looking forward to that kicks off just in, uh, two weeks from today. Right? Kevin,

Kevin L. Jackson (01:01:45):

Is it one week? The

Scott Luton (01:01:46):

17th. Oh, is it 17th next week? Okay. I’m I, Hey, you know, me and my dates, if I don’t have my outlook right in front of me, I am confused. But uh, Hey, Kevin, big, thanks to you for joining us here today. Folks. Big. Thanks for, Hey, keeping the conversation full and informative. Uh, the sky box is full of comments here today. Uh, Cheryl says best sub stay on the sub list.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:02:12):

<laugh> thank you. Thank you. I have a

Scott Luton (01:02:17):

<laugh>. Um, big thanks again to Amanda and Chantel behind the scenes for helping to make production happen here today, folks. Hey, you got a week full week out in front of you challenging you here as we’re signing off today. Scott Luton, Kevin L. Jackson, the whole supply chain. Now team challenging you to do good. Give forward B the change that’s needed on that note. We’ll see. Next time. Right back here on supply chain now. Thanks everybody. Great. Thank you. Thank

Intro/Outro (01:02:42):

You. Thanks for being a part of our supply chain now community check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on supply chain now.